


The Annual Romantic Notion

by helsinkibaby



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:14:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26067829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: Noelani has been at a crime scene for hours and she’s exhausted
Relationships: Noelani Cunha/Steve McGarrett
Comments: 10
Kudos: 20





	The Annual Romantic Notion

**Author's Note:**

> Theme : one word prompts   
> Prompt : any, any, coffee

The morning sun is just starting to peek above the Honolulu skyline when Noelani hears the familiar purr of a Camaro engine, hears two doors slamming shut and then the unmistakable sound of Steve and Danny bickering. Which, usually, she doesn’t mind. Usually she might even find it quite entertaining. 

This morning though? She’s been at the scene of this bombing for four hours already, she’s facing into a day of autopsies and grieving families, to say nothing of media requests for information. That is to say, she’s already tired, she’ll be lucky if she sees her bed this side of midnight and the prospect of listening to The Steve and Danny Show is making the cool quiet of her morgue look appealing. 

She doesn’t look up from her clipboard as the voices get closer, concentrates on the body in front of her, making notations until Steve squats down across from her. He says her name and it’s as much an enquiry to her welfare as it is about the man lying between them. Anyone who didn’t know him as well as she does wouldn’t be able to tell the difference but she can and it means she’s able to smile slightly when she meets his gaze. 

Then she sees what’s in his hand and she knows her face goes blank with shock. 

Steve smiles too, briefly, almost like he’s embarrassed. “I picked this up for you.” He hands her across the takeout cup of coffee, a slight tinge of pink settling high on his cheekbones. “Figured you might need it.” 

Noelani couldn’t hold back her grin if she tried and she’s not much interested in trying. “You are my hero,” she says, her fingers brushing over his as she takes the cup and, if she lets her hand linger on his a second longer than necessary, well, it’s only a second, it’s not hurting anyone. 

Because she knows this man, knows what Steve is like. Verbalising his feelings is hard, if not nigh on impossible, so hearing the words “I love you” from his lips a rare occurrence. She knew that before they ever started dating, so when they did, she realised very quickly that Steve just expresses his feelings in different ways. Casual touches that she could miss if she wasn’t paying attention. The way he’ll linger in her office if it’s been a particularly tough autopsy - kids are the worst, but there was one man a few weeks ago who’d reminded her strongly of her Uncle Akumu and that one had put her away for a good hour afterwards. The way she’ll catch his eye every so often, find him looking at her from across the room. 

And, of course, bringing coffee to a crime scene when he knows she’s going to need it. 

She’s so touched by the gesture that it’s easy to forget she’s not the only one who knows Steve so well. Fortunately, Danny is there to remind her. 

“Okay, so now that you’ve used up your one romantic notion for the year, how about we actually, you know, work the case?” Once upon a time, Noelani might have thought Danny was actually annoyed; now she knows it’s just another facet of The Steve and Danny Show. 

Gripping the cup firmly, she straightens up, looks Danny dead in the eye and takes a pointedly long sip before she starts to talk. 

Even Danny grins, while Steve hides a smirk by rubbing his hand over his face and, with the first hint of caffeine hitting her system, with the warm look in Steve’s eyes that he’s not even trying to hide, suddenly the day doesn’t look so bad.


End file.
